I am a firm believer that, with God's blessings and lots of hard work, anyone can successfully work from home. However, I will be the first to tell you that working from home is just that–it's work.
I'm by nature a positive person but I won't sugar-coat the truth when
it comes to working from home: if you are not prepared to put in lots
and lots and lots of time and effort, working from home won't work for you.
I'm sure many moms could look at me and want what I have–the
ability to make a good income while staying at home, choosing my own
hours, and taking care of my husband, home, and family first. I can
take a day off (or even a few days off!) whenever I like and
the money continues to come in at about the same rate because of the many
multiple streams of income I've set in place.
All this might sound really wonderful (and it is!) but what most people
often don't add into this equation are the countless hours, days,
weeks, months, and even years I've spent working, learning, and experimenting to get things to the point they are at.
The effort has paid off and I'm now reaping the fruits of my labors
(though I'm still making lots of mistakes and I'm sure I'll continue to
do so until the day I die!), but I won't ever forget the struggles I
had to go through to getwhere I'm at or the mountains I've had to
climb along the way.
This series is my personal journey to Becoming a Work-at-Home Mom. I will be sharing what things have and haven't worked for me, what I
wish someone had told me when I was first contemplating starting a
business from home, and how you, too, can become a work-at-home mom.
Let me start at the very beginning…
When my husband and I were married–over six and a half years ago–we knew we wanted to stay out of debt, live on a budget, and we wanted my primary place to be at home. I had no desire to pursue an outside-the-home career; I just wanted to be a stay-at-home wife and mother.
However, there was also this thing called money. We didn't have a lot of it and my husband still had three and a half years of school left ahead of him. We were living on a very tight budget but we weren't even making enough to pull that off. We knew that the only way we'd survive the next three and a half years was if we not only continued to pinch pennies, but if we also found ways to increase our income.
Before we got married, I worked an odd assortment of side jobs to produce a little income: I taught violin, babysat, tutored, and worked as a mother's helper and a waitress. I continued on in some of these after we got married but when we moved to a new town where we knew no one so my husband could begin three years of law school, I found that my side job possibilities narrowed a great deal!
However, we prayed a lot and talked about a hundred different ideas. And then we got creative.
I advertised my experience as a mother's helper in the local homeschool newsletter and soon was working for four different families each week. I enjoyed this work and it helped to pay the bills. We didn't have any wiggle room at all, but by carefully squeezing every little thing we could out of every penny, not buying anything but basic necessities, and strategic grocery shopping, we were able to survive on $800-$1000 per month.
A number of months went by and one week I began noticing that I didn't feel so well. I was tired and sick to my stomach much of the time. I went about my usual routine, but I could barely keep up with my mother's helper jobs. I continued to feel worse and worse and we couldn't figure out what on earth my problem was. After about a week of this, I realized that the one thing I'd not considered was the possibility I could be pregnant.
We'd wanted to have children since we were first married but we'd struggled with some infertility issues and I'd finally just given up the hope that I'd ever be a mom. However, I had some pregnancy tests stashed away and that morning I decided–on a whim!–that I'd just take one. After all, it wouldn't hurt anything.
Imagine my total shock when I took it and looked down a few seconds later to see two pink lines! No wonder I'd felt so sick and tired!
We were ecstatic, elated, excited, and overwhelmed all at once! We were thrilled to be parents, but we realized this was going to turn our world a little upside down. Never could we have realized at the time just how much having a baby was going to change our lives forever–for the better!
To be continued next week…
Just for fun: How many of you currently work from home?
Tell us a little about what you do. (And if you have a website, be sure to leave the link in the comments section.)
Graphic designed by A Source of Joy Graphic Design
Other posts in this series
- Guest Post: Finding a Work-at-Home Job
- Guest Post: Avoiding Work-At-Home Scams
- Becoming a Work-At-Home Mom: In the Beginning... (Part 1)
- Becoming a Work-At-Home Mom: Starting with Small Things (Part 2)
- Becoming a Work-At-Home Mom: Learning Through Failure (Part 3)
- Becoming a Work-At-Home Mom: More experimentation and failure
- Becoming a Work-At-Home Mom: A blessing in disguise
- Becoming a Work-At-Home Mom: My first feeble attempts at this thing called "blogging"
- Becoming a Work-At-Home Mom: Working 60 to 70 hours per week is not something I'd recommend
- Becoming a Work-At-Home Mom: Learning from those who are older and wiser
- Becoming a Work-At-Home Mom: A blog series, an ebook and an ecourse
- Becoming a Work-At-Home Mom: MoneySavingMom.com is born
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I work from home selling Tupperware. I’m actually currently doing a series on direct selling and some of the tips I’ve learned in the past year that I’ve been selling Tupperware. Check it out at http://life-with-less.blogspot.com.
I’m looking forward to the rest of your series!
God has been so gracious to let me stay at home with our 2 little girls. My husband is a pilot and gone frequently, so we decided that it would be the best if I am at home with them full time. However, money is definitely tight and we try to spend wisely and pinch our pennies! I am also a registered nurse, so after much praying about seeking additional income, I was offered a job to do telephone triage nursing from home for just a few hours each week! What a blessing this has been and there is always opportunity to pick up a few more hours if needed!
Thanks so much for all of your encouraging and wise words regarding saving money and living on a budget. You have inspired our family to try to live on less and give more! I look forward to reading your blog each day!
I decided to stay home with my son on a spur of the moment (when he was in the 5th grade) so we had no savings built up or plans for how to do it – just took the plunge and everything has worked out, thanks to God’s blessings. I made a great salary but was able to cut out a lot of expenses due to not working – ie: clothes, gas, meals out, expensive gifts, etc. With planning and sites such as this one, I have been able to make our income go further. And then I was hired to work at our church for the children’s ministry – 5 hours a week. I am the “gofer” person – I shop for the church, make the posters, put up the bulletin boards, pack the goodie bags for Harvest Fest, make phone calls, etc. etc. etc. You would be surprised how many little jobs there are that I can do (many from home)- so it may be a good idea to see if your church or business needs someone like that. Even with the bad economy my church has continued to pay me – every time I say they can cut me out of the budget they protest because they are getting a lot of good for a little bit of money ( I do the jobs full timers hate!). For additional cash, I sell on eBay. I have also contemplated selling my skills – teaching others how to sew, knit, cook, etc. This is a great post -I may find other ideas to try!
Thanks for the story Crystal…can’t wait to read more.
I am a teacher turned stay at home mom for almost 2 years now. We had so many problems with my first son in daycare and not being taken care of, that my husband and I had enough. We took a giant leap and just prayed God would provide. He has even through job hour cuts and 1/2 our income being wiped out. I started cleaning houses to make money for groceries and gas. I then had friends ask about teaching my money saving/coupon tricks, so now I teach coupon classes and average one a week. It’s nice for extra spending money and I get to “teach” again, which I love. We have also made the biggest leap towards financial freedom by selling our home, paying most of our credit cards off, moving back to our hometown and renting a home until we are debt free. You have been such an inspiration through all of this Crystal!
I also blog at http://www.coupondealsandsteals.blogspot.com and hope to start having that become more of a business as well.
Hello all, I am a mother of four who has been out of a job for about 18 months now, I moved to a small town in Henderson NC but has been unable to find a job, I was looking into working at home but do not know where to start and to whom I can start off with, It is very hard for my family right now to keep up with the bills and all, so if anyone have any suggestions I will greatly appreciate it…please, I am enjoying the story and with my tight budget Money savings moms have been a great help. Thank You! karphac@yahoo.com is where i can be contacted.
I am starting an online business, An Image to Remember. I love framing pictures and memorabilia. Once I get that part of my business up, I plan to sell stationary too (another love in my life). Right now, I am setting up an office and a website, so that I’ll be running my business part time come January…just six months before our first child arrives! I’ll be able to stay at home with our child and bring in extra money too! What a blessing! As a side note, all of you are an inspiration. I love reading your comments!
For 10 years, I was blessed with the abitlity to stay home with my kids. Now that they are all in school full-time, I am working at their school during the school year. Year-round, I run a home-based business offering the best quality and value in children’s books. Check it out: http://www.TheStoryStash.com I get a regular night out with the girls where I get to share some of my favorite passions: children, literature, and great deals. And I get paid for it! It is a win-win-win!
Hi, All! I am so excited about this series! Thanks, Crystal!
I am a mother of 2 wonderful, rowdy kids! They keep my hands full 90% of the time. I am a stay-at-home-mom due to my husband’s awesome job and salary. We are trying to pay off our debts and would like to do it very quickly, but sometimes it is just a little extra here and there. We are about 1 month ahead of plan though! YEAH!
I have been looking for ways to bring in some extra dough. My sister owns a consignment store (in a diff. state than where we are) and I have learned a lot from her experiences and helping her out when I can. I love shopping at these stores and have even sold some things through them. Watching her manage owning a store and being a single mother of 4 has made me think I could do it too. I have done a lot of research and have written a business plan (2/3 completed). I would have my children with me at the store (at least until they reach school-age, but I may homeschool them too). I am not sure how all this will work out, but I am certain that God has put this desire in my heart. I don’t want to go into starting my business with debt though. If anyone has any ideas/tips, I would love to hear them. Thanks!
Hi! I work from home teaching online classes. I also write a little on the side and co-run a website, http://www.incmoms.com – we post work-at-home jobs to help other moms work-at-home. It’s a non-profit, so no fees!
When I became a single mom last year, I began exploring options of creating mulitple streams of income beyond my day job. Your site not only saves me money, but inspires me as well. Keep up the great work!
Deanna
http://www.cluttercounselor.blogspot.com
I have been working from home for 3 years now. It started as blogging and gradually worked its way into writing articles for various websites. I love it and the money has allowed us to do so much more than we could on a teacher’s salary.
I Love that you’re doing this series! I’m so anxious to learn how to have multiple streams of income and still be a SAHM! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for doing this! I also have a blog http://moneysavingjunkie.blogspot.com/. Thanks Again!
I work from home 1 day a week teaching piano lessons. I have 3 boys and the mom’s who bring their kids to lessons watch my children in the a.m., and my mother in law in the p.m. lessons. I teach a total of 5-6 hours per week. It’s great!
I work full-time right now, but would love to be able to work from home. I have a 3 year old and am due with my second child in less than 2 weeks. I have been looking for ways to bring more income into our home so I can, at the very least, reduce my hours. I have recently started selling products with Blessings Unlimited. Check out my website at http://www.erinmcgee.blessingsdirect.com !!
I am really enjoying this series already! I have been searching on and off for work at home opportunities for 10 years. I haven’t been hugely successful but I have been able to be at home for the last 3.5 years with my four little girls. I sewed custom boutique clothing that I sold on ebay for about 5-6 years. I really don’t have time for that now — so as I am able I am creating sewing tutorials to sell on etsy.
My etsy store is. . .
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5444950
Can’t wait to read more of your journey to being successful at working at home! Your blog is inspiring!
Thank you! Melinda
Hi Crystal,
I consider myself to be a work at home mom. I have a 3 year old daughter and we’re in the process of adopting a newborn but I primarily get to be a mom. (I also have a chronic illness so I have to pace myself otherwise I get really sick.)
I have been a Realtor for 5 years and it has been such a blessing for my family. I really wanted to do something meaningful that was relationship oriented, unlike my first corporate job out of college. My hubby is a firefighter (makes just above a teacher’s salary), so I wanted to find something that I loved but that would also give me the flexibility to choose my hours and work around hubby’s schedule and kids when we had them. I wanted something that would pay me based on how hard I was willing to work rather than on what someone else thought my work was worth. I love being a Realtor and it’s an amazing opportunity to participate in a huge part in people’s lives! The Lord has blessed my business and it’s been perfect for our family.
I’m also creative and crafty and have thought about selling what I make if we needed to. It’s just fun for me now and I don’t want to spoil that, but if we ever needed money, I could sell hand made goods.
Can’t wait to read the rest of your series!
Becca
http://www.theholthouse.blogspot.com
I do a little of both. I work three days a week outside the home and the rest of the time from home. I blog at Saving and Giving (http://savingandgiving.blogspot.com), and I also make wedding invitations, party invitations, notecards, Christmas cards, and other stationery items. The stationery business has always paid for Christmas for our family, and it’s growing! My site is http://www.perfectsentiments.com. In my spare time
I also teach online. I love that – even though life requires me to work away from home part-time right now – I can earn an income part-time from home too!
I sew and sell my things online. Between little boutiques, my website, and more, I’ve sold nearly 1,000 items!
http://www.candyargyle.etsy.com
I worked at home as a licensed real estate agent, part time. I helped a broker with paper work, advertising and phone sales from home until our fourth daughter was born. We recently relocated to Tucson Arizona and I have landed a at home job that is done strictly over the internet. I transcribe into closed captioning a television show for a station located in Georgia! It’s not paying enough right now, just around $25-$50 a week, but it is a start.
I have considered myself a at home, work from home mom for the last 13 years. For me, I consider it a privilege that should be valued. It’s not always easy, but it is ALWAYS worth it!
Tanya
PS. My wonderful hubby (of 14 years) is a Family Pastor. Life is BUSY
I am very interested in your series, as well. My husband might be losing his job due to down sizing. I have a 4 1/2 year old daughter and have let my teaching license expire, but we don’t have the funds or time for me to go back to school to get my masters degree. I would love to find a work at home position to help our family out financially, but not have to pay daycare costs. She will be attending all day, everyday kindergarten next year and I would like to find something to fill my time during the day, but have flexibility to volunteer at school and be home when she returns at 2:30. If anyone has had success with any “work” at home jobs/companies, please post them. I am quite interested!
I work as a freelance writer for a newspaper now and a Web site in the past. I’ve also watched a friend’s child over the summer while they were out of school and sold all kinds of things on Ebay
I have 2 boys and am ant at home medical transcriptionist. I get up at 4 AM to work and then homeschool during the day! It is sooooo worth it!
I am technically not a WAHM yet…more of a “volunteer” for my sister’s business. She was laid off a few months ago, and I have been helping her (without pay) on her new endeavor: http://www.sweetscrapdeal.com. It is slow going, but we have high hopes for it. She keeps promising I will get ‘paid’ after it gets out of the red. It has been fun so far!
I am a work at home mom to three boys ages 7,5 and 3. Two months after my youngest was born, I began “working” at home through a direct sales company selling sterling silver jewelry. When I began, I looked at it as an opportunity to make a little extra money and get out of the house one night a week for some “adult” conversation. Three years later, I’m in love with the fabulous company that I work for and the financial independence it has given me. I’m happy to say that when my youngest goes to kindergarten, I will not have to go back to teaching (as I did prior to children). I love the flexiblity my “job” offers and the ability to be there for my kids when they need me. The income potential is what you make of it. My website is http://www.mysilpada.com/jennifer.gentile. Check it out!
I work at home as a daycare provider. It’s the hardest job I’ve ever done and also the most rewarding. It’s not for everyone but works well for me as my son is and due to infertility issues will probably remain an only child. I’m grateful God has allowed me to raise my son, take care of my husband and even minister to other moms all within my 4 walls.
I’m so excited to hear your story, and I’m really glad that you’re being honest about how HARD it is sometimes. Not only is it hard to work at home with the kids, but it does take a lot of time and sacrifice to create the multiple streams of income. But it CAN be done! I think too many moms are looking for a quick fix, especially right now. So thank you for starting this series!
I am currently working from home, writing and blogging. It was very hard to get up and running, but now I’m happy with my monthly income and am working on increasing it. http://www.moneywisemoms.com
I work about 25 hours a week from home as a medical transcriptionist and am able to help our family income substantially. I am a fulltime mom to our 4 1/2-year-old daughter who is a busy, busy girl
We homeschool for preK.
I hope to be able to continue to work only PT once she goes to school next year (my preference would be to homeschool her though).
It can be very challenging to juggle all my roles and I will say that my house isn’t as clean as I would like but I’m doing all that my hubby asks of me so I am content (mostly) with that
Can’t wait to read the rest of the series Crystal! So glad you are back to blogging more again and that your little girls are back in health. Hope Silas is feeling better soon too!
Well, in “another life”, I was working at my dream job–teaching at a university. After a few years and two children later, my pastor-husband and I felt the call to church planting. However, in the last year, I have begun to live my DREAM! One year ago, we moved from CO back to WA and now are planting a church.
For the first time since having kids six years ago, I am a SAHM. I help dh with the church plant in a variety of ways. When I am not doing this or homeschooling our kids, to make ends meet, I teach private piano and voice lessons, as well as group music classes. I ‘branched’ a music school that I worked for in CO called Children’s Music Academy. (www.cmaforkids.com)
My goal is to have around 10-15 private students (5-7.5 hours of work a week) and at least five group music classes (5 hours of work a week). That is the goal that I am working towards.
I am blessed to love what I do, use my education/training/gifts/talents and be able to stay at home with our kids, especially in this season of ministry. I love that I can help dh at the church and provide additional financial resources for our family.
Jada
These posts cannot come at a better time for my husband and I! When we first got married 4 and half years ago, we both wanted me to have some time as a “stay at home wife” before we added kids. But, we also wanted to be debt free. So, after I got out of school a year ago, I started working full time at a financial institution. But, after we found out I was pregnant, and announced it (about 5 weeks ago) I quit my job to try my hand at “stay at home wife” before “stay at home mom.” It’s been really fabulous to have this time to get ready for our baby and to feel like I have my house under control. As my time is getting closer though, I would really like to start getting something started in the way of income. We could definitely live on his income, but a little wiggle room is always nice. I think I’ll try my hand at adding some ads to my blog (since I’ve already got some readership established) but I’m interested in other ideas! We’ll see.
Thank you for starting to share your story, Cyrstal. I can relate to what you say about people wanting your life but not understanding what you did to get there. I am incredibly blessed to have a rewarding professional job for a global company that pays me very well and allows me to work from home and set my own hours. What people do not see is the 15 years of employment I put in growing this career and all the effort I made to hone my skills so that my employer would want to make me this offer. You can work from home but you have to develop skills that make you valuable either to an employer or to customers.
Over the years, I have done various things to supplement our income, but nothing that has produced anything steady for the long-term, as I’d like. I have provided before- and after-school care. I have transcribed recorded interviews. I have worked an after-school program, and may tutor a student over the next several months. My 8yo daughter is trying to launch her own baking business. My 15yo son is trying to get a wood crafting business off the ground. My husband and I sporadically take a catering job. From 2001-2008, we were the live-in/resident custodians for our church (which included housing and utilities) and at time the part-time paid janitors. When that work got to be too much due to DH’s health issues, we left that position. Crystal has been a blessing in helping me stretch the dollars, which there are few of due to the recession, the increased living expenses, and the loss of income. I still would love to find a more regular, consistent way of having supplemental income. takeflightministries.blogspot.com
I’m a violin teacher too! I started blogging because of my passion for healthy living and have recently started looking into ways that I can generate some income. We started couponing when we did Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. I look forward to your next post : )
I watch a couple children in my home- the minimum number needed to meet our budget. As we pay off debts and my husband’s income increases each year, we hope to decrease the number of children I need to watch. That will give me more time to devote specifically to my own children as well as freedom during the day to do everything from go on playdates to grocery shop.
I just started blogging in April of 09′ and love it. I hope to some day make this into a little part time job! Most of all my blog is to encourage young moms to stay home with their babies and to teach others the MANY BLESSINGS of living a more simple, frugal lifestyle.
If by very hard work my blog grows to where I can make some money, it will be great. But most of all I want to make an impact on others lives. I believe, Crystal, that is your first priority as well, and it so comes through with all you do and say. You are such a blessing and inspiration. I hope to be that to my readers as well.
To all reading this, Just remember this saying!
“The One who has achieved success is the one who has worked well, laughed often and loved much.”
Please visit at: http://www.frugallivingandhavingfun.com/
Crystal,
It is so great to hear your story! I have loved reading your blog daily to watch how you are balancing home and work, it is encouraging to know that with God’s direction, it most certainly can be done! I too have a blog, and I speak and do a few other things, and my struggle has been balancing. I have learned that if I don’t give God my first fruits, my days just don’t work. He is so good at authoring my day if I give it to him. I can’t wait to read more! You are a great writer.
Thanks!
Kelly
http://www.faithfulprovisions.com
I became a freelance copywriter after the birth of my son. It has turned into a great career move for me! Basically, I write for businesses. This type of work involves the very best of my skills – marketing, networking, writing, and creativity. I write everything from ads to articles, webcontent and proposals. I’ve also had the opportunity to assist people with their resumes and cover letters (I’m very affordable if anyone’s looking for one!). My writing website is http://www.angelarussellwrites.com. It’s great – very low risk, no inventory to sell, etc. I turned a profit with my first check.
In the last year, I also launched my blog (www.thecouponproject.com) as a way to share my couponing knowledge, give me an additional writing outlet, and drive traffic to my copywriting site. I absolutely LOVE blogging. It has been one of the most rewarding pursuits of my career, though much more slow-going. Incidentally, I take my blog as seriously as my writing business. I formed an LLC and opened a business license right of the bat, and honestly, I’m surprised more bloggers do not take the time to check this important task off their list from the get-go.
I would add that while anyone could start a home business, most people shouldn’t, or only enter with GREAT care. I have never been so stretched in my life. While my copywriting business brought me income right away, I’ve been blogging since Feb and am only now starting to see the checks. Working from home also requires a good deal of self-discipline and follow through. You must also be organized, and professional if you wish to be taken seriously. Finally, you must be passionate about what you are doing. I’ve had to learn to network like crazy and be outgoing, even if I didn’t feel like it.
Most of all, don’t just start a business to start a business – find something that you love and start from there. Otherwise, you will burn out quick.
Thanks for this series, Crystal, and the chance to let your readers chime in – very valuable stuff!! Anxiously awaiting the next post!
I currently work part time outside the home and own a writing and editing business: Prolific Pen. I write and edit all kinds of things, from web content to software manuals and everything in between. Check out my website: http://www.prolificpen.com!
Crystal:) I look forward to reading this.
You are an encouragement.
I work at home homeschooling 1st! Then I blog about our story at
http://www.adustyframe.com
I also sell on Etsy
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5067922
I do home daycare and homeschool my own kids. I have some great families and they become an extension of ours. It has been great for my 2 children to have little ones around since they are older. Although sometimes it is difficult to get school done for the most part it works for us. I look forward to you next post and really enjoy your website.
I used to sell baby carriers from home. When the gov’t gave us that “gift” a couple years back and I was offered an opportunity from the company, my husband and I thought it would be fun to give it a try. It wouldn’t have been possible any other time living on student loans, but it was a great learning experience. It lasted for about a year (there was 4 or 5 months when gas prices were crazy high that nobody bought anything). But with 2 kids under 3 and one of them a very big ball of energy, it became more and more difficult to help other moms and interact in public. Plus, we decided our monkies needed more “mom time!” So, I am now slowly selling off my product. I’d love to have a mom’s favorite kid products store someday. If anyone is interested in purchasing a Moby Wrap, please checkout my blog and email me… bab-i-licious.blogspot.com
I feel truly blessed to be a SAHM. While also being a Consultant for a scrapbooking company called Close To My Heart and I nanny a little girl 3x’s a week and take my 2 year old son with me. Many Blessings for sure!
My Blog is: http://jessicabooth.blogspot.com/
Close To My Heart Website is: http://jessicabooth.myctmh.com/
I am a Oklahoma veteran homeschool mom (this is my 16th school term to teach at home) and have done different things over the years to generate income. The most profitable business was as an Admin. Assistant for a import company from Texas. I handled the gathering of paperwork from trucking companies that shipped our products into the US from Mexico and coordinated delivery locations and forklift rentals, all from my home. It’s amazing what can be done online with a computer, fax machine, credit card and telephone. I made about $60K in commissions for the two years I focused on the business, but it was hard work and my children hated it. I have not worked since 2005 to focus on graduating my last student (*snif,snif) who is a Junior this year. There is a season for everything.
I teach a music program called Let’s Play Music (www.letsplaymusicsite.com) to preschool-aged children through second graders out of my home. I have two classes that are held once a week for 45-55 minutes. I absolutely love it! As do the children! I love the program and enriching the children’s lives, but the business side of it is really great as well. I enjoy being able to chose my schedule and be home with my family.
My studio blog address is http://www.letsplaymusicwithmisskendra.blogspot.com
I have been blessed by having a job as a local tax collector. In the state or Pennsylvania, the counties are divided into townships. People have to pay tax to the townships. Unfortunately, the job is being abolished and restructured by the state. I will be unemployed by June 2012. Until then, I am gaining knowledge to replace my income, so thank you for your article.
I have worked alot of odd jobs myself: babysitter, tutor, and a crafter at shows. I finally settled in at my home site http://www.recyclebingraphics.com where I draw for people’s businesses, sites, and hobbies. This has allowed me to stay at home, raise and homeschool my children, plus now care for foster children.
I love reading of your journey and look forward to the next chapter.
I have been a stay at home mom for the last 12 years. We always planned I would stay home until the kids are in school and then go back to work as a CPA when they are in school to start college funds.
Now that the poin of them all being back in school is within 3 years, I am looking for something to do that will bring in income, while still allowing me to be home when they are. I have started blogging, which does take a lot of time, but I enjoy doing. I also work as the treasurer for our church. I am able to do a lot of this at home.
My website is http://www.thecouponhigh.blogspot.com
I work at home as a medical transcriptionist full time. I also sell Avon on the side. Check out my website at
http://www.youravon.com/marandamorgan
My job I previously held prior to children was not willing to let me work from home 2 days a week, therefore I resigned. Then 2 years later they called me to ask if I would come back. Since the ball was in my court I requested 2 days in the office and the rest from home. It has worked out wonderfully. We have a college student come in for the two days. I work as a contact for all the State colleges for our State College Financial Aid Office. It has been a true answer because my husband is thinking about changing jobs and teach at our church school which would lower his income and this will make up the difference while still letting me be a wife and mom.
It’s been so inspiring reading all of your stories! I have been a work at home mom for a little over a year. After the company I worked for part time closed, we did a lot of praying on what to do next. My old job was extremely flexible and I didn’t want that to change, our priority was for me to be there for our kids. I had a friend who introduced me to blogging, so I started out blogging about ways to save money (http://www.sweetwatersavings.com).
I love doing it, but I wasn’t making as much as we had hoped. So after more praying I became involved in network marketing as well and it has been a life saver for us.
I agree, it is a lot of hard work. There were many times that I wanted to give up, but I stuck with it. I never would have believed it, but I make more now then when I worked at my part time job. I’m currently working on a blog about my journey so that I can help other moms work from home as well.
I can’t wait to read the rest of this series!
I have three wonderful daughters and have been a stay at home mom with them for most of their life. I love it, but we are doing Dave Ramsey right now and getting some extra income would help right now. Our biggest problem is that if I were to work, daycare costs would take most of my income anyway. So home based work is really our only logical answer. I can’t wait to hear more of your story!
I started my blog http://www.frugalinvirginia.com/ soon after my first child was born and have been able to make some income from that.
I agree with you though, Crystal- it’s a lot of work! I love it and feel very blessed that I can earn an income while focusing primarily on my family, but the income doesn’t usually line up with the amount of hours I put in!. I’ve realized it’s going to take a lot of work and time to grow my blog business to the point where the pay is where it should be for the time I put in.
I love hearing about the ingenuity of women in their efforts to work from home, but balance the priority of motherhood and family as their first priority!
I have worked from home since the 9th grade! I’ve taught piano lessons for 14 years, and now have a successful photography business (which takes me out of the home for about 2 hours to shoot the pictures, but everything else is done from home!) MY PHOTO WEBSITE helps generate sessions, as well as teaching opportunities, as I now offer classes and lessons in my home as well.
I agree with you Crystal… it is WORK. And its taken me a long time to learn how to streamline and make my time as efficient as possible. It takes discipline to still set hours… often, working from home will take as much time as you will give it, and it takes a clear priority perspective to walk away from the computer and fulfill my other duties as wife and mother.
If you can find the balance, or at least strive for it, it can prove to be very rewarding, both financially for your family, and also personally for your own progress and self fulfillment.
I too am very blessed to be a work-at-home mom. I am a registered dental hygienist and could be working making ALOT of money. My husband and I chose for me to stay home after the birth of my 2nd. I “stumbled” (God ordained of course) upon a breastpump rental business opportunity after the birth of my first after all the problems I had with nursing. I started it up when she was 6mo old and went “full time” after my 2nd. http://www.shop.mothersbestbreastpumps.com .It is flexible and I am doing something I enjoy and believe in. My kids can be a part of it as well. They love seeing the new babies and help me at the post office, etc. It doesn’t bring in alot of money but I don’t regret being home for a minute. I, of course, coupon, bargain shop, do rebates, etc. I thank God everyday for the opportunity to be home with my children and still help contribute to our family.
In addition to working my full-time job until we get in a little better spot financially, I also pick up some bookkeeping on the side and run my own small business. I make custom jewelry, note cards, invitations, graphic design and home decor items. I haven’t had the time to focus on advertising really yet, so I haven’t had much traffic, but I’m considering switching everything over to Etsy to be more visable. My current shop address is: divinecreations4u.weebly.com.
I am SOOOOOOO excited about this series! I am really wanting to start working from home to help with the budget, but just have no idea how to get started!!!!! Yay. Thanks for sharing your experience.
I’m so blessed to be able to stay at home with my 16 month old daughter while still making a significant contribution to our income with my Pampered Chef business. http://www.pamperedchef.biz/cookingwithshena
Being in control of how much or how little I work and how much money I make each month is great! Flexibility is key. When unexpected expenses appear– (more often than not it’s car trouble!) or with birthdays and holidays around the corner–I know just what I need to do to take care of that bill.
It’s great to be able to share money saving ideas and recipes with all the guests and show them that a sit-down family meal IS possible no matter what their skill or confidence level is in their own kitchen. It’s all about bringing the family together.
I just wanted to say that I love your blog. I’ve been a SAHM for 6 years and I love every minute of it.
I have been a certified home child care and it wasn’t for me. It was a LOT harder than I thought and I ended up with a child with ADHD w/DD. I wasn’t qualified to care for a child like that and my daughter ended up with a broken arm that required surgery. In the end it cost us more money. Not to mention the guilt that I feel. I just wasn’t quick enough to stop it.
So now I have moved on to reselling. I happen to be extremely gifted at shopping. =) I buy and then resell on eBay. It’s not for everyone, but it works for me. I make enough money for groceries and the kids after school activities. I’m at the point where my neighbors are asking me to cosign for them. Its a lot of harder and time consuming than people think. I also do everything legally and pay taxes.
http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Chelseys-Closet
I teach online classes for a community college. The tough thing about online teaching is that some students expect me to be available 24/7 and that’s just not the case! The money I make from these classes goes straight into our savings account and we live off the small income we pay ourselves from our fledgling construction company. Teaching allows me to do something for myself and use my master’s degree, which I think is important, and also to stay home with our 3 kiddos 5yrs old and under. I have hopes of homeschooling, but am struggling. #4 is on the way and I really need to figure out how to better manage my time so I spend more productive time with my children. Thanks for this series! It’s supper interesting.
I work at home answering e-mails and “Live Help” inquiries for a company that I formerly worked for as an in-office employee. During the school year I also tutor. In the days before technology made telecommuting an option I did part-time transcription during non-business hours for employers that I had first worked for during traditional hours. I’ve been offered home-based transcription jobs at home but so far have not tried transcription from home. I previously was a certified medical coder. Early in this decade I and several colleagues found it difficult locating at-home work in that field. From the comments above, it seems that the situation has changed.
While working at offices I’ve made it a point to learn the skills needed for tasks that can be done independently and to demonstrate that I’m self-motivated. I’ve viewed it as a plus if I could find tasks do-able during off-hours that my coworkers did not like to do! These efforts have paid off when employers and former employers have offered me at-home and off-hours assignments.
I’m glad to be working at home, but I’ve found that it can cause making my home a haven to be more challenging. I tend to approach my job of answering e-mail as being ever-present. In a way my current situation reminds me of my grandfather’s work as a farmer. Lately I’ve been trying to restrict my work to certain times of the day and one room in the house. Another feature of my situation is that very, very rarely take a day off. I view this as a positive since I don’t like to get behind on things, but some family members who see me working while visiting them for holidays disagree. I’m able to reply to the e-mails and “Live Help” inquiries from anyplace as long as I have my laptop and an internet connection.
I am really looking fwd to the rest of this series and I LOVE your blog. I became a stay-at-home mom, which I’ve always wanted to be, after teaching 2nd grade. Whenever we decided to have kids, it was at a crazy time because my daughter was born the month we moved across the country for my husband to pursue his PhD. We live in Boston on a graduate student stipend, while I stay home. I’ve gotten creative in finding ways to earna little extra dough, but nothing too profitable yet. I am REALLY looking fwd to reading this to get more ideas.
I do audio transcribing for an insurance claims company, seel Longaberger baskets and stay at mom with my three kids, 8,5,and 3.
I work from home as a Suzuki violin teacher….
I am a web designer and computer programmer. I used to have a “real job”. When my maternity leave was almost over, I wanted to go back to work part-time; unfortunately, my boss told me that wasn’t an option. “If you come back, we need you to be here full-time.” My husband had just started a new job that would pay the bills, so we talked it over, and I quit my job.
Now I keep up my skills and earn a little money by free-lancing. I am blessed to have more saleable skills than a lot of SAHMs, but it is still a struggle to find work that I can do (and want to do – there is a lot of work I find that is unethical), and tough to find time to do the work without distractions.
I tell others (and remind myself) that this is my “side business” – my full-time job is being a mom.
AnitraSmith.Net
Hi! I am very interested in hearing your story! I am a WAHM. I have a virtual assistant business that I started at the beginning of this year. I was laid off while pregnant with my daughter who is 18 months old and I couldn’t imagine leaving her, so I spent a lot of time researching something I could do from home. I am not crafty (I always get in that crafty mood around the holidays, but that is not my strength!). I decided to open a VA business and I absolutely love it. It is a ton of work, but because I love what I am doing it doesn’t always feel that way. Plus I am home to spend valuable time with my daughter. The internet is an amazing opportunity for those willing to work and learn! I feel lucky to have my family in a time where the internet provides so many options. I am looking forward to hearing the rest of your story
Devon
http://www.vintage-va.com
I have a great job as a flight attendant that allows me to work 2-3 days per week or even less. The more I fly the more money I make, the less I fly, the less money, etc. If we need more money for something I can pick up extra hours or if I need to be home more, drop my hours to other folks. I’m gone two nights per week, but am able to be home most of the time and have a job that pays health insurance, vacation and travel benefits. I would not recommend this nowadays because you have to start at the bottom and be on call – not ideal if you have children. But i now have over 20 year of seniority and it is perfect job for a mom.
I’m a fellow homeschooling mother and long-time follower of your blog.I work from home for a small, up ‘n coming dancewear and tutu company (Vala Dancewear/Class Act Tutu) as their one-woman Media Relations dept. My responsibilities include interviewing dancers, reviewing dance company performances (gotta love those Press Passes!), and writing newsletter/blog articles. I occasionally go into the office to help with shipping, etc as necessary. However, I’m able to bring my children along with me, which is an incredible blessing.
In addition, I’m also seeking other freelance writing opportunities to further my skills and provide additional income.
http://chaimommy.blogspot.com
I love being a stay at home mom but I love having work. Its something to keep my mind busy so I started teaching preschool classes out of my home on Tuesdays and Thursday. I love it and my kids love having their friends over! My preschool website is: http://activehandsandminds.com
I have taught music lessons since I was in high school and I currently have a few students. Its not much but again its something I love that helps bring in just a little bit more.
I also have come to appreciate how being a smart shopper can save hundreds each month so I signed a contract with grocery smarts (a free website that takes the store adds each weeks, ranks the sales, and matches current coupons) and now I teach classes on how to be a smart shopper a few times each month. I maintain a blog for this as well: http://lvsavingmadesimple.blogspot.com
I have been working on becoming a SAHM for 18 months now. I do some Web design on the side – feel free to email me for more information – ellaclaresmomgmailcom and my mom has started a home design and staging business that I help her with – http://www.sylviasspaces.com. I also have my own mommy-blog on DIY projects, gifts, toddler raising and some going green ides – http://www.mominthepink.blogspot.com. I also work full-time. I’m seem to be working harder at being a SAHM that I am at anything else right now!
I am a SAHM and I work from home part time.
I knew after having my first child that I would not go back to work. I did mother’s helper positions (which allowed me to bring my newborn with me)until we moved to a smaller town where I knew that was not an option.
I was lucky to research medical transcription and talked to a woman who had way too many hours of typing. I asked her if she would be willing to give up some hours, which she was more than happy to do. I just had to talk to the owner of the podiatry clinic. I did and they were willing to give me a chance. I had no medical terminology background but with a practice that focuses on one thing….it is pretty repetitive. It was slow going to start but I quickly picked up on the terms.
I had no training. I have internet and invested in a machine. I charge by the line I type so there is no question how much or how little I work. I work every other week and have 3 kids now.
I am still looking for another project to earn more income. Maybe something internet based.
We are very much in the same situation – my husband is going to school and still has a couple of years left to go and we have two little girls (almost 3 and 9 months). We are struggling to pinch every single penny because we are trying to live off of savings, which isn’t much, and neither of us have “real” jobs (but we do have some side jobs that brings in a little here and there). I have set up an Etsy shop and I’m also couponing and doing surveys, etc. to make ends meet. Thanks so much for writing this – it’s so nice to know that someone else was in the same situation too!
http://www.peainapod.etsy.com
I tutor at tutor.com. About a year ago, I was frantically searching for anything at all that I could do online, I finally thought, I can teach! I was a math teacher for 4 years before I got married, then we were blessed with twins 2 weeks before our first anniversary! Now I have 2 almost-four-year-olds, and a 2 year old, and I am able to tutor while they nap and after they go to bed at night. AND, I don’t even have to advertise to get students to come to me, which is a huge bonus!
I work part time on the weekends as a nurse, but I’m also a WAHM during the week. I started selling Discovery Toys earlier this summer and it has been a great blessing. With minimal hours a week and great incentives for new consultants I’ve made a few hundred dollars a month with only one or two parties a month. The great thing is that the possibilities are endless! If you don’t want to do home parties, you can sell baby toy baskets, do personal shopping consultations with grandmothers, do toy fundraisers with daycares and preschools, etc… I also now have over $800 in toys in our home for my own children that were free. It’s going to be a great Christmas!!!
http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/michelle
I also do as much money saving as possible through couponing, budgeting, thrifting etc. I look at it as though my time is valuable and if I’m saving money that I’m not really earning by having a full time job, I’m actually making money!
I am a SAHM and we are in our 2nd year of homeschooling. I don’t have any income other than my husband but wish that I did. When my children were in public schools…I was there with them volunteering wherever they needed me. I LOVE Volunteering. I worked in an area food pantry for almost 4 years. I was truly blessed! I enjoy volunteering because it is the BEST PAID JOB you will ever have! No money…only blessings. Which would you rather have? Me? I’ll take the blessings!
We make enough to get by with a few extras every now and then. God is good and always provides. I LOVE your blog the best because you seem to be so down-to-earth. I love learning about all the ways to save money by cooking and freezing things. I am still very new in the coupon game and can’t afford to do the CVS,Walgreens,Rite-Aid scenarios yet, but I hope to one day and be able to donate all the items I don’t use to the Ronald McDonald House. They always need sample-size toiletries and lots of food. Thanks for what you do. I look forward to the next part of your story.
Thank you for your post!
Beth Schultz -
I’d love to hear more about the medical coder. My husband and I are looking for start a family next year and my life dream is to be a SAHM or at minimum WAHM. Problem being, my corporate job makes up over 70% of our income. While my D.H.’s career will take off some day, I need a at home job.
Please any info and tips on the medical coding would be such a help!
Blessings and Hugs all!
S
I am a stay/work at home mom and have been for the last 14 months. I used to be a school teacher and have always known that I wanted to stay home with my children one day. My husband and I worked diligently to pay off debt and were anxious for the day to come when we were financially ready (or so we thought) for me to quit my full time teaching position and stay home. It hasn’t been as easy as I expected it to be, but I love it. I wouldn’t trade these days at home with my daughter for anything. Since being home, I’ve started a website http://www.cutestlittlethings.com that showcases my painting and sewing talents. Since it’s still fairly new, it hasn’t brought in a steady income yet, but every little bit helps for sure!
I work at home as well. I never thought abotu what I was doing as work until recently and have decided after much prayer and contemplaiton that it became hard recently because I was focused ont he wrong thing. I became obsessed with money and how much we were earning. I was worried abotu every cent. then I realized that if I am living the way the Lord wants me to live and taking care of my families needs then the work will find it’s time and I wont be as stressed. I have started doing that and am finding a lot more enjoyment in what I do. I love helping others and hope to be able to bring in enough ont he side to help my husband get through Law school with no debt. My family all think I am crazy for even thnking abotu it, but I really believe that We will make it if we work hard and save as much as we can and live as frugally as we can for the next 4 years.
My website is http://www.sassysupersaver.com
come visit me!!! Leave a comment and let me know you came from this site! I love new people visiting me!!!
Thanks for all you do Crystal. You have inspired me in more ways then I can tell you!
I don’t know if what I do counts as working at home, but it is really close. I have a pet sitting business I started about 5 years ago. It allows me to bring my daughter with me to work and I get to run the show. It started out slow and I worked a regular job for the first two years. When I had my daughter I quit my regular job and have been just pet sitting since. I now have an employee and am thinking about adding another.
Working independently and being a homemaker and a mom is really hard work, but I think it is completely worth it. My website is tallahasseepetsitter.com
I quit my full time teaching job to stay home with my first daughter. I worked part time as a substitute teacher, but found out that I was pregnant with my 2nd daughter! I had to quit subbing since it just working out well for me…it didn’t bring in enough after paying for daycare for the days I subbed. I decided to open up my own daycare/preschool. I got my license for a small family childcare home and I do a full preschool program with the children I watch. It is a blessing. Everything I do for my daycare, blesses my children, too (now 2 and 3 yrs. old). I would like to try for one more child which seems absolutely CRAZY because really we can’t afford for me to take a maternity leave/lose the kids in my care to another daycare, etc., etc. so I would like to see if I could start bringing in income in other ways…looking forward to reading your future posts.
I have worked from home for 16 years. First doing daycare and now as a health coach with a weight loss and optimal health company. (Yes, I was a client first! I went from a size 14 to a 4 and my family has lost 1,700 lbs,)
http://www.julieadams.tsfl.com
I sew cloth baby wipes, diaper liners, nursing pads and make-up remover pads on etsy. http://www.softandscrubby.etsy.com When I’ve had lots of time to sew I’ve made $300+ a month. I usually make enough to pay for all our homeschool materials for 4 children.
What a terrific series. I am very thankful that I can stay home, but it certainly isn’t because my husband has a plush income. Most would say that we are near poverty level; but God can do amazing things! I try to do a variety of things to supplement my husband’s income (even if they are small ways) by completing writing projects, joining affiliate programs, selling clothing and toys at consignment sales, and even helping as a wedding planner. I also believe that a life of frugality is essential for a homemaker, so that she can literally stretch out her husband’s hard earned money! An ancient philosopher once said, “Do not people realize how great an income is thrift?” Staying home allows me to save money by planning meals, hanging out laundry (in warm weather), homeschooling my children, etc.. Thank you for this terrific series.
Crystal,
What a wonderful post. Can’t wait to read more of your story.
Your comment “if you are not prepared to put in lots and lots and lots of time and effort, working from home won’t work for you.” is so very true, and the primary reason why I coach those who ask me about working from home to know their why.
Knowing why you want to be at home, work from home, along with God’s grace, gives you the strength to stay the course.
I’ve been home with my four kids for most of their lives. Only my older two remember me working outside the home for a short (and very long) two year span. In those two years, I had to work hard to get back to being an “at home mom”. In total I’ve worked at home for 10 years, officially homeschooling for 9.
It’s a journey, like you said, to find your place, to allow God to work in your life and provide the opportunities if you are willing to work them. Not always easy, but defintely, so very defintely worth it.
I work primarily on a referral basis as a communication consultant/writer, and as an editor of a technical trade magazine. And when I’m not doing that (for it pays the bills), I blog about Life at Home as a Work at Home, Homeschooling mom at http://workathomehomeschoolingmom.com and more importantly, enjoy the time hanging out with my kids and getting to know them and their hearts in ways I could never do if I worked outside the home.
So glad I found your blog. I’ve seen your work elsewhere, but am enjoying your site here. Look forward to the rest of your series.
…Shannon
Hi!! I’ve been a stay-at-home wife for a little over six months now, and we are expecting our first little one in March! So, I’ll soon add “mom” to that title
I hadn’t been working through the summer and early fall, but God brought an opportunity to my door a few weeks ago. So, now I work part time (about 20 hours/week) out of my home for my pastor and church as the secretary/administrative assistant. I have officially worked for the church for only about three weeks, but it has been such a blessing to, like you said, still be able to take care of my family first and take time off if I need to, but still be able to make some income and serve the Lord with my abilities!
I am a lawyer and dream of working from home, so I can’t wait to continue reading this series! I currently have a Blogger template design business (http://www.madebymadeline.com) that could bring in enough to cover my student loan payments (which are huge!!!) but that is as far as I have gotten….
I have been home for over a year now and am just trying to figure out ways to earn money from home. I recently started blogging and while it obviously isn’t earning much I am enjoying writing and am slowly building some readership. If nothing else it is giving me some creative outlet and stretching my brain muscles. I have no desire to return to ‘corporate america’ which booted me out after 20 years. I would love to do more with my blog, do some freelance writing and find other avenues to earn additional income from home. I’m very interested to see the rest of your series Crystal.
I can’t wait to read the rest of this! I love hearing other ideas about how to create revenue streams from home!
I am very blessed to be a WAHM. I work as the Show Manager/Conference Coorindator for Apologia – the creation-based science curriculum. I love what I do! I help put on a conference to encourage homeschool moms spiritually. I get to work with the speakers and the attendees. I really enjoy it (did I mention that already). This is a link to what I do: http://www.Apologia.com/LIVE
I have a mommy helper who comes 9 hours/week while I work. My other work is done during naptimes. I work a total of 20 hours/week.
I am also in the process of starting a web business, but it is going to include me learning about some web programming, so we’ll see how it goes. =)
Thanks for all the encouragement and ideas!!
Hi I’m a long time reader of your blog…love it very much. I, too, am a work at home mama of three kids (2-10). I’ve worn many hats in the scrapbook industry over the last 8 years, but am changing gears a bit now. I was putting in too many hours, burned out, overwhlemed and my family was suffering…which was just absolutely no good. The key to working at home is “balance.” –which I’m trying much harder to find and keep now. But going in a new direction…it’s a little scary. Luckily though…like you said, I worked all these years to get to this point and have a great network built up through my crafting gigs.
So, I’ve switched gears…refocused. I’m taking a leap and faith and opening an online shoppe to sell my Whimsy wares– handmade goods…I know God will provide for me, provide what I need. I just have to continue to work, keep my priorities straight and go for it! Stop in and see me sometime…opening soon…
http://www.whimsyshoppe.com
I’m anxious to read more! I have been a stay at home mom for three years now and I’ve tried a couple side businesses, but they never produce real income for me. I need to find something I can do to contribute financially. I’d love to hear more about how people are making money blogging??? That sounds like something I could do!
Challice, I too have thyroid issues and was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. It wasn’t until I was diagnosed with MS that we decided to turn to a holistic MD for help. I have found a lot of natural ways to find the energy to keep up with my three year old son. The bills aren’t cheap though. I sympathize with you!
I have been wanting to start my own house cleaning business. I still have a 3 year old at home that only goes to school twice a week for half a day and I’m not sure if this is something I should wait to do until after he’s in kindergarten. If someone else is doing this with a child at home any advice would be helpful. I was also thinking of going back to school on line to become a translator spanish/english so if anyone is doing this too I would like to hear any feed back.Thanks so much Crystal for this wonderful opportunity to share our dreams of being a stay at home/working mom.
My husband and I have been married for 3 years and have a son who just turned 2 last month. Before our son was born I was a second grade teacher in one of our public schools here in CA. However, as much as I loved teaching, when my son was born I knew it would just kill me to leave him everyday.
Fortunately, a huge blessing came into our lives and a family friend knew of a friend who was working primarily from home as a teacher with a public charter school. I looked into this, submitted an application, and was offered a K-8 Teaching position.
This past August I started my third year with California Virtual Academies. Most of the time I work from home and then every 9 weeks I meet with all of my students and their parents for a conference over a period of 2 weeks. I usually schedule myself for 3-4 hours at a time for a total of 5 days. Another blessing is that I can leave my son with my mom who lives near by.
It hasn’t always been easy and I still have days when I would love to temporarily “retire,” but most days I count my blessings to be bringing in a steady salary with full medical benefits and to be home with my son.
My husband will finish his teaching credential in May so God willing he receives a high school teaching position I am planning to take some time off from teaching until our son (and future children) are much older.
Beth….what is medical coding? Everything I type comes back with no results. I must be wording it wrong. Do you have a web site or a starting point you could send my way? Thanks, A California friend, Debi
Prior to having children, I had a brief encounter with direct sales, and my husband & I gave MLM (multi-level marketing) a try. We learned a lot & made great friends, but neither turned out to be an income vehicle for us & left us with debt. Shortly after our first daughter was born, I dabbled in a different type of direct sales. However, I was a much better “shopper” than a “seller” & just increased our debt load. I took a short break from business ideas, but after our second daughter was born, it became apparent that if we ever wanted to get out of debt, we needed more income.
After praying over it, I started a graphic & web design business last year (I have a background in graphic design and advertising). Shortly after I launched my business, I found out I was pregnant with #3. While I was pregnant [& now that I have 3 kids (under 3 yrs.)], I am only able to give part-time hours to my business (most of which is done at night). However, God has blessed my business and for the first time, I have a profitable business! God is Good!
This is a fabulous series, Crystal! Thank you for sharing your story and ideas with us!
I have been blessed to be able to put my administrative skills to work the last few years as a Virtual assistant (http://www.divineva.com/blog).
I love this series you have started and look forward to reading each one…
I am a stay at home wife (Lord willing one day a Mom) and I love making things. My problem is I am not good at selling. In the past I tried to sell Creative Memories and ended up selling everything to myself instead of building any type of customer base.
I now make cards and other things and really enjoy it however I am not a good sales person… I have a website http://zizziecards.com/ and I am starting to use etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6197951 but if I really sit down and look at the overall picture… I do this more as a hobby and not really get any income out of it.
My husband is wanting to go back to school for his engineering degree in the next year or so. We have two kiddos under the age of 2 – I am keeping my eye out for ideas to help supplement our income which will probably be decreasing quite a bit from home! I’ve made several $1000 over the past few years with mystery shopping. Having the two kids has cut back on my ability to do that quite a bit.
As we enter this new season of our lives, I’m constantly needing to remind myself that God is in control and He WILL provide as we seek to follow Him!
I’ve just started blogging, too – http://www.domesticcontessa.blogspot.com
I work from home as a freelance writer and blogger. I also sometimes still substitute at the library.
I love your site! I too work at home managing a company my husband and I own but with the economy the way it is I am always looking for other sources of income.
I have just started my own blog because so many of my friends and family are always asking about the great deals I get, So I thought I’d put them all in one spot, I call it Saving, Surviving & Thriving
Thanks again for all the inspiration,
Melissa
http://savingsurvivingthriving.blogspot.com/
Great series! I have stayed home since my almost thre year old daughter was born. Now with two kids, I try to find ways to supplement our income as well. I am lucky to have a bachelors degree and have been able to pick up a little work here and there in the field I worked in before. I’ve also just signed up to do some substitute teaching. I sell some on Ebay. I also have been blessed to have many crafty talents. I’ve started an online children’s shop on Etsy: http://pumpkinsboutique.etsy.com
Its hard to get it going, but slowly it is getting there! I love to craft and hope to find even more ways to make money with my skills.
I do have one question: How do you make money with a blog? I’ve started one: http://growingupcarlley.blogspot.com and right now its a mixture of personal, business and random stuff. How might I use it in other ways? Thanks so much for the series and can’t wait to read more!
For certified teachers in many states, there are lots of options for teaching online from home. It’s easier if you’re certified in secondary ed, but there are options for elem students too. A few virtual schools (elem and sec) – Connections Academy, K12 inc, Sylvan, Knowledge Learning Corporation. You can search on job search engines for virtual school, online school, virtual teacher, etc. If you search virtual schools on Wikipedia, they have a list by state, though it doesn’t include all the schools out there. Generally you have to live and be certified in the state where positions are open. I am in the process of interviewing with an AZ school and am excited about the possibility of working from home!
Thank you for sharing your experience with all of us. My hours have recently been cut in half at work and I hope to give more time to my blog. I would love to be able to work part time from home in order to make up for money lost from hours being cut. Again thank you for the time you are taking to help us all. My blog site is
http://savingwithtammy.blogspot.com
Learn how to start making money online today! http://www.wealthyhuman.com
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